As we get closer to the end of the month, many of us will be hosting a Halloween party for the first time in quite a while. Picking out the music you want is hard enough, but maybe you want something to set up a visual ambiance. Here are some movies you can have on in the background of your spooky shindig. Flicks that are heavy on the vibes and visuals and it isn’t the end of the world if you aren’t paying too close attention. The hardcore cinephile in me acknowledges this is a little unethical in an artistic sort of way, but there is something to be said about a movie helping establish a mood.
Black Sunday
I recently watched this for the first time. Mario Bava directs this gothic story about a witch returned from the grave and her vampires. It doesn’t exactly make a whole lot of sense, but it’s got this mood that really hits. Distributed by American International Pictures in the states, it feels kind of like one of their Poe pictures but in black and white. Streamable on Kanopy, Shudder, and AMC+. There are public domain versions on Archive and Youtube as well.
Creepshow
You should watch this with the sound on, but this collaboration between George A. Romero and Stephen King has a lot to offer visually. Emulating an EC Comics style, there’s zombies, monsters, creepy bugs, and Stephen King himself. The frame narrative for this anthology is set in October, so bonus points there. Streamable on AMC+, rentable on Prime.
Demons (Demoni)
Another movie, like Black Sunday, that doesn’t exactly make sense but it offers a lot visually. A group of people go to a showing of a horror film, and zombies break lose. That’s the bulk of the plot and all you really need to understand. There’s are lot of stuff you would never expect, such as a helicopter that falls into the cinema. Streamable on Hoopla, Shudder, and Mubi.
Spookies
This is probably the only film on the list that is improved by watching with the sound off. Technically it’s two movies that were edited together, and yes you can tell. A bunch of people go to a haunted house in the middle of nowhere, and bad stuff happens. One by one these people fight and mostly succumb to the various evils the house has to offer. Evil statutes, muck monsters, goblin things, a spider woman, it’s what a Spirit Halloween movie should have been. The effects are quite good, if a little cheesy. Streamable on AMC+ and Shudder.
Trick ‘r Treat
A Halloween set anthology, wherein the stories are all inter-connected, Trick ‘r Treat is a great film to have on for the folx who need to chill a little during the evening. It’s fairly easy to follow with or without subtitles on, and the visuals are always interesting. It has a Halloween vibe that few films can replicate. I’ve used this at a couple of Halloween parties and it never failed. Streamable on AMC+ and Kanopy.
Whatever you end up watching, I hope you have the right amount of spooky for your season.
~Andrew